Note of author: Merry Christmas to all of you! Have a nice holiday and I hope, you can spend the days with the people you love most :-)
Somebody had brought a big jigsaw puzzle and started it in the team break room. The motive was Santa Claus in his reindeer sleigh, throwing a present into a chimney, with children waiting for their surprises in the living room. Kitschy and perfect for this time of the year. The first days Sara tried to ignore it, a jigsaw puzzle with such a motive was not her cup of tea. A few days ago she caught herself looking for the right pieces and realized, it calmed her down when she spend a few moments concentrating on something else than her case.
When she came into the room on Christmas Eve the only one, who was there, was Sofia. Her eyes and attention on the jigsaw puzzle, the blonde didn't realize she wasn't the only one anymore, who was in the room. For a few seconds, Sara took the time to watch her colleague. Or kind of colleague, as Sofia was a detective now and not a CSI anymore. She left Vegas for reasons Sara never learnt and came back, when a spot as a detective opened and Brass asked her to transfer back. A good decision, even when Sara would never admit to that. She and blonde got along better, much better than in the beginning, but they weren't friends. Did she like Sofia? Well, the detective was smart, dedicated to her work and would never let a colleague down. All things the brunette appreciated in people.
"It's a little bit like work."
Surprised Sara got out of her thoughts. "I beg your pardon?"
"The jigsaw puzzle, it's a little bit like work. Yours and mine. We're also looking for the matching pieces, have to turn many clues around, try various possibilities and in the end we have a complete picture." Sofia looked up, right into Sara's eyes.
"Unless some pieces are missing."
"Then we don't have a complete picture, but still see what it's supposed to be. Gosh, I hate all the white pieces."
"Most times snow is white." Sara answered dryly.
"Unless it's lemon snow, you don't want to try how it tastes, I've heard."
"You better don't."
"So, what are your plans for the rest of the evening? Your case is closed, your shift is over. Are you attempting any Christmas parties?"
"No. You? Don't you want to go home? Meet your family?"
"My family is working, I'm not exactly a small child anymore, who needs her parents around her on Christmas Eve. I don't expect Santa to drop presents down the chimney tonight and won't rush into the living tomorrow morning to see all the colorful parcels."
"You don't believe in Santa anymore? How sad." Sara sat down and looked at the pieces, that were still not on their right place. Most of them were plain white. "Then you don't get any presents." She tried a piece and it fit. What an eye.
"I will survive. Maybe I go and get some take-out dinner for later, have a beer and look at my poorly decorated Christmas tree. Somehow I never got around to decorated it completely. And instead of a star on top of the tree, I've got a tequila hat. Not the right spirit of Christmas."
"Why not start a new tradition?" Another piece fit. This started to be fun. If only picking the right lotto numbers would be this easy.
"Right. So, what are your plans for tonight?"
"Now I want to finish this one and then, I don't know. Think the same you do, get some dinner and look at no tree. I didn't bother to get one, figured, I won't appreciate it anyway."
"No party with Greg? Grissom?"
"No." Greg had asked her to join him to a club, dance, celebrate in a different way. She didn't feel like it. And Grissom? Did he know it was Christmas? He was worse than she was when it came to public holidays. Then again, he was a Catholic, he must know about Christmas. Did he celebrate in a traditional way? Went to church? She had no idea and it didn't matter really.
"We are getting there." Less than a dozen pieces were left.
"Yes, with every piece we find, it's getting much easier. Hah." Within a few seconds they finished the jigsaw puzzle, leant back and watched it.
"It's not really a great motive."
"Nope. We did it anyway. Congratulation. Now we can leave."
"Looks like." Both were silent for a moment. "How about we get dinner together?" Sara asked. There was no point in leaving here alone when they both wanted the same: take-out dinner.
"There's no point in eating alone when you can have some company." The blonde smiled.
"Well, that depends on the company, but I think you could do worse." Sara smirked.
"Oh thanks, you couldn't do better, Miss Sidle."
"Smug, even on Christmas Eve. Typical detective Curtis. Come on, we found all the missing pieces, let's get out of here before we start a fight."
"Who said we won't fight over dinner?"
"I have no idea about you, I'm starving so I doubt I'll be in the mood for a catfight when there's food around."
"Me neither."
"See. come on." They left the building and decided to meet at a Thai restaurant, they both knew and that was close to both homes.
"Now what?" Sara asked when they stood in front of their cars with their ordered food.
"Now it's the time when one of us should invite the other over. The question is, who will it be?"
"The weaker one."
"What makes you say that?"
"An assumption."
"You are a weird person, Sara."
"Sounds like you don't want have dinner with me."
"A very weird person. We should…" A quiet whine was coming from the alley behind them.
"You heard that?" Sara put her bag on the roof of Sofia's car.
"I did." The blonde placed her dinner next to Sara's and got her weapon out. It was always better to be prepared. Slowly they walked into the alley. The whine was gone, came back a few seconds later. Quietly Sara pointed to the garbage bin. The sound came out of there. With her gun pointing to the lit, Sofia waited for Sara to open it. One fast move the garbage bin was open and…nothing happened.
Carefully the brunette looked into the bin. "Oh my god!"
"What is it?" Sofia stepped closer and looked inside. In the middle of half torn trash bags, paper and other things, she couldn't specify, was a puppy. Dirty, obviously half starved and with scared eyes.
"You poor little fellow." Sara pulled the puppy out of the bin. "You don't have to be scared, we won't hurt you."
"Who would do something like that? Throw a puppy into the garbage?" Sofia petted the fur of the puppy carefully.
"I'm afraid a lot of people are assholes. He's hungry."
"Shall we take him to a vet?"
"Is he injured?" Sara sat the puppy down on the ground. It there for a few seconds, before it got up and walked a few steps around the women. Then it sat down again, whined.
"Maybe it only needs some food."
"Tell you what, there's a supermarket opposite from my apartment, we get puppy food there. And you need a bath."
"You want to keep it?"
"I'm not going to abandon it." Sara picked the puppy up. "Come on, you need dinner." With the puppy on her arms she went back to the car. "Can you take the dinner?"
"Sure, I'm right behind you." The blonde followed the brunette to her home. "Let me get the food, you take the puppy inside."
"Okay." Sara carried the puppy inside. In the light of her apartment, the little dog looked even more starved. And dirty. "First we give you a bath, then you get your dinner." Ten minutes later the puppy was cleaned and on his first bowl of food. Both women examined it, didn't find any injuries and decided not to take the puppy to a vet, if it didn't seem to be in pain.
"How about your dinner?" Sara handed Sofia a plate with her reheated dinner.
"Thanks. I'm starving too."
"Santa needed his food first."
"Santa? You named the puppy? Are you going to keep it?"
"Like I said, I won't abandon it. And you have a cat, you can't keep him."
The blonde smiled. "He doe like you." The little dog had made himself comfortable in front of Sara's feet after he finished his dinner.
"Of course he does, I'm a nice person."
"Most times. And a weak one."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Remember, the weaker one gives in and invites the other over?"
"It was sensible."
"Yeah sure. Oh and by the way, I've got something for you. Sorry for the missing gift paper, the shop doesn't wrap gifts for you." Sofia handed a jigsaw puzzle over to the brunette.
"A puppy?"
"Yeah, I thought maybe we want to try another jigsaw puzzle, one with nicer portrait. After all, we are pretty good together when it comes to finding missing pieces."
"We are. Does that mean you're going to stay over?"
"Don't worry, I'm housebroken."
"Okay, let's find missing and matching pieces." Sara smiled and opened the box.